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Top 10 Ways To Keep Your Devices Secure

Whether you’re using a computer at work, in your home or a mobile device, it is imperative that you take digital security seriously. According to A Clark School study at the University of Maryland, there is a hacker attack every 39 seconds.

It’s easy to assume that you will never be affected, but the reality is that everyone is at risk. According to the IBM Security Services 2014 Cyber Security Intelligence Index report, 95% of cyber security breaches are due to human error. That is why our team of experts have created this list of 10 simple things you can do to keep your devices protected.

Perform Software & Hardware Updates

All operating systems offer updates. Many times, it’s to add additional
ease of functionality assets, but most of the time it’s to add security patches
in discovered vulnerabilities. We know it’s a small inconvenience, but we
suggest checking your system once a week to see if there are new updates.

More often than not your device will prompt you to install the new update.
You can either choose to delay it to a later time or have it automatically
installed.

When it comes to application or third-party updates, make sure it comes
from a trusted source. If you want to be extra cautious you can perform a quick
search to see if it is a known malicious file or if it’s safe and trusted.

Sure, these updates will protect your individual devices, but what about the overall network. It is common practice for routers to have firewalls built in. Often your routers firewall is inactive and if that’s the case we suggest configuring your routers settings and taking advantage of that added security. You can also update your physical router to one with added protection and reliability.

Install Decent Anti-virus Software

Every operating system requires an anti-virus software. It is true that
Window’s is the most targeted OS system because it is the most widely used.
Albeit less common, Apple, Linux and Android still have use for anti-virus
software.

There are free options out there which may not be as effective as a paid option, but it’s certainly better than nothing. You can make an educated decision by comparing the latest anti-virus software’s on the market. This article on comparitech.com is a great resource and a good place to begin.

Adjust Your Browser Settings

Adjusting the privacy and security options on your browser can help lower
the risk of malicious infections and hackers reaching your device. However,
many options are disabled by default leaving you more exposed than you would
prefer each time your browse.

Thankfully adjusting your browsers settings only take a few minutes. Chrome, Firefox, safari and edge all provide detailed instruction to help.

Be Smart About Your Passwords

There is a popular phishing scam whose sole purpose is to obtain your password so they can sell it online. A powerful resource to see if your email or passwords have been breached is haveibeenpwned.com.

Create strong passwords using a combination of letters, both capitalized and lower case, numbers and symbols. We suggest creating a new password for each website and using a password manager like LastPass . LastPass also gives you the option to generate new, strong passwords.

Don’t Visit Malicious Sites

Websites now use two protocols HTTP and HTTPS. What is the difference? When
browsing online on a website using an HTTP protocol your connection is unsecure
and unencrypted. This means that any data you put into that website like a
password is unencrypted and is clear for any malicious user to see.

Chrome has expressed that using a HTTPS protocol is highly preferred and
will damage a websites trust factor if it does not. It will indicate if a
website is using the secure protocol by showing a green lock in the left-hand
corner of the website address. You can be assured that if you see this icon
your data is being encrypted and is not exposed.

According to Cisco, Most malicious domains, about 60%, are associated with spam campaigns.

This also applies to any links you click that will take you to new
websites. Always use caution while surfing the internet, there is no such thing
as being too suspicious. For instance, it is reported that 50% of websites
regarding updates and news about the COVID-19 virus are malicious. Always hover
on a link to verify that the address you are about to click is from a trusted
source.

Avoid Phishing Scams

Phishing scam artists are becoming more and more clever. They take their
time composing fake emails copying businesses’ look and feel. These are often
emails prompting you to change your password or about a fake service that is
being provided to you without your consent. All to create a panic reaction so
that the viewers click on the fake link and install a malicious program on
their computers.

Be cautious if you are ever faced with one of these emails. Check the recipients email to make sure it comes from a trusted source, check the spelling for grammatical errors and most importantly, hover over the link and check in the lower left-hand corner to see where the link is going to take you and if it can be trusted. According to Symantec, 48% of malicious email attachments are office files.

Never Leave Devices Unattended

By 2020 there will be roughly 200 billion connected devices. According to figures compiled within a recent Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, there are 25 connected devices per 100 inhabitants in the US.

Depending on where you are and who you’re around, you may feel the need to
keep your devices safe guarded. This goes without saying that when you’re in a
public area to make sure you never leave your devices unattended. A person with
malicious intent could put an infected hard drive into your computer or worst
case you have to deal with theft.

If you in a work setting, make sure to lock your computer or devices
whenever you leave your desk. Best case scenario you end up with an office
prank of someone flipping your desktop upside down. Worse case you get a virus
installed. Keep the security of your devices always at the forefront of your
mind.

Use Caution Around Public Wi-Fi

It is tempting to log onto your local coffee shops or malls free Wi-Fi, but
we suggest using extreme caution when you do so. Most public Wi-Fi networks are
unsecure and your browsing data could be sent over the connection unencrypted.
This means any malicious user nearby could be listening for passwords or other
sensitive data.

A way to avoid this is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. This
encrypts your data by connecting to a secure server in between your device and
the public Wi-Fi. A VPN will also mask your IP so that your activity is no
longer monitorable.

Always Create Backups

Whether its sensitive work data or precious photos and videos, if the
content is important to you back up your information. My personal backup rule
is two is one and one is none. It’s really simple, if the content would be
sorely missed make sure it’s in multiple locations whether that be on a cloud
service or in a physical external hard drive.

That way if your computer or device does get breached you always have
retrievable data as a recovery option.

Use Data Encryption Services

Another way to secure your data is to encrypt your data. Once initialized
it will require resources to decrypt, making it less attractive to hackers.

There are many tools available to help you achieve encryption, including
full device data encryption, cloud data encryption, internet traffic, emails,
and SMS. There are various apps available for Android and iOS for mobile device
encryption.

In order to keep your data safe and secure you must take an active role in
protecting it. In reality, it sounds like a lot more work than it is. Although
nothing is ever completely secure, using the above steps will go a long way to
protecting your sensitive data and online presence.

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3 Comments

Bill

After reading your article, I’m even more convinced in the rightness of using VPN. NordVPN is keeping me safe and unrevealed. Everyone has the right to privacy, anonymity, and secureness and none of the personal information should be leaked ever…

AlphaKOR

Glad to hear you are taking precautions to remain digitally secure. Often, it’s not one of those essential services you don’t consider until it’s too late. NordVPN looks really great and they have a huge 70% off promotion going on at the moment as well. Thanks for sharing Bill.

Pat Soulliere

Frank, Can you please send over this list to Ingrid so that she and I can discuss to make sure that were covered off on everything. I need her to guide us on our laptops While working remote, But still part of our office system. And of course I probably should assume that Since AlphaKor Does such a great job, you also take care of all of this for us. I will ask. Thanks Frank

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About

Frank Abbruzzese Is The President Of AlphaKOR Group. Frank Brings Over Thirty-Two Years Of Experience Within The Technology Sector. Some Of Frank’s Experiences Include: Developing Long-Term Relationships With Companies And Organizations Of All Sizes, And Providing Strategic Planning For Technological Advancement.